Why Starbucks' Alcohol And Tapas Menu Could Be A Total Flop

Starbucks is planning to start selling alcohol and tapas at thousands of its stores nationwide over the next couple of years.

The new offerings are meant boost traffic in the evenings, the slowest time of day for the coffee chain.

But Starbucks could face a few hurdles in transforming its cafes into bars after 4 p.m., according to Brian Sozzi at Belus Capital Advisors.

He shared a couple potential problems with Business Insider.

1. A more complicated menu. "Starbucks is rapidly evolving its menu, as it's easy to do and viewed as a surefire way to instantly boost sales and profits," Sozzi says. But that also means that baristas will have to learn to prepare the new menu, which includes complicated items like Bacon-Wrapped Dates With Balsamic Glaze and Parmesan Crusted Chicken Skewers.

The preparation time could make the ordering process longer for all customers, including those who just want to purchase a cup of black coffee.

2. The potential need for more service. The Starbucks' "evenings" concept does not include a full service wait staff, but may end up demanding one, Sozzi says.

"Starbucks must not only re-train its employees to morph them into waiters and waitresses, meaning they have to constantly be looking around beyond the coffee station, but it must hire additional workers to properly work the tables of people with beers, wine, and evening foods," he said. "Beer bottles must be collected and removed. Tables have to be worked like a diner to optimize the amount of the items being sold."

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